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States Look to Prisons for Ways to Save Money, Including Letting Some Inmates Go
FOXNews.com ^ | Saturday, January 10, 2009 | Associated Press

Posted on 01/10/2009 4:52:26 PM PST by metmom

NEW YORK — Their budgets in crisis, governors, legislators and prison officials across the nation are making or considering policy changes that will likely remove tens of thousands of offenders from prisons and parole supervision.

Collectively, the pending and proposed initiatives could add up to one of biggest shifts ever in corrections policy, putting into place cost-saving reforms that have struggled to win political support in the tough-on-crime climate of recent decades.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: corrections; earlyrelease; inmates; prisoners; prisons
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Just what we need. More criminals on the streets.
1 posted on 01/10/2009 4:52:27 PM PST by metmom
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To: metmom

Why not just make tent prisons in the desert? I’m sure they are cheaper.


2 posted on 01/10/2009 4:56:02 PM PST by Tai_Chung
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To: metmom

It’s another fine example of government being unable to what it’s supposed to do because it’s too busy doing things it’s not supposed to do.


3 posted on 01/10/2009 4:57:54 PM PST by Brilliant
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To: metmom

They need to be selective but do people in jail for non violent crimes belong there to begin with?


4 posted on 01/10/2009 4:59:45 PM PST by CindyDawg
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To: metmom
Their budgets in crisis, governors, legislators and prison officials across the nation are making or considering policy changes that will likely remove tens of thousands of offenders from prisons and parole supervision.

I would have less problem with this if we made sure to house these offenders next door to these self-same governors, legislators and prison officials.

5 posted on 01/10/2009 5:00:15 PM PST by fhayek
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To: metmom

Well they won’t save any money except their own.The average criminal costs about 5 times more to society on the street vs locked up in prison.


6 posted on 01/10/2009 5:02:33 PM PST by Farmer Dean (168 grains of instant conflict resolution)
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To: metmom

This was inevitable. The explosion we saw in prison populations since the eighties was unsustainable. It couldn’t continue. They’ll let a few thousand out, and we’ll still have several times as many locked up as we ever did at any point before 1979 or so, whether you look at total prison populations or the per capita number of people we have in prison. What we saw happen since then was entirely unprecedented, a radical departure from anything we had done before. It did help reduce crime, but it was also incredibly expensive, and we were putting so many people in prison I can’t help but think we’ve put a lot in that aren’t such a threat to us that we really need to lock them up. I bet we can achieve the same good results while locking fewer people up if we are smart about how we use our limited prison space.


7 posted on 01/10/2009 5:06:10 PM PST by SmallGovRepub
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To: CindyDawg

I agree...I know for a fact that Georgia locked up kids for pot violations...small amounts and they were not violent.


8 posted on 01/10/2009 5:08:25 PM PST by bronxboy
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To: metmom
rotating door Pictures, Images and Photos
9 posted on 01/10/2009 5:09:10 PM PST by Snickering Hound
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To: metmom
Hopefully, any crimes committed by the prisoners released will only be directed against the politicians who are attempting to blackmail the taxpayers with this little stunt.

And that's all it is: blackmail. There's no reason at all why the money can't be cut somewhere else.

10 posted on 01/10/2009 5:09:22 PM PST by Psycho_Bunny (ALSO SPRACH ZEROTHUSTRA)
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To: metmom
Finally making sense. It's ridiculous to have a bunch of pot-heads in prison. Cut them loose and stop arresting people for smoking dope. Also, turn the illegals directly over to ICE. They have a program where you can immediately deport, and if the illegal comes back, he/she is sentenced to 20 years in the federal prison.

They should be scouring the county jails as well for illegals and pot-heads. Most states pay the counties to lock up people. Clear out the county jails of these buffoons and leave the violent career criminals and theives in the jails. Screw rehab. Unless someone wants to quit, they aren't going to. Most of them, in my limited experience, have no interest in quitting.

11 posted on 01/10/2009 5:18:57 PM PST by MovementConservative (Oregon Ducks 42, Oklahoma St. Cowboys 31)
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To: metmom

Ah, a great new batch of Dem Voters to put back on the rolls


12 posted on 01/10/2009 5:19:13 PM PST by acoulterfan
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To: metmom

I agree with the tent cities idea. It is totally acceptable according to international human rights standards, to use military style field conditions. It costs a fraction of brick prisons. It eliminates overcrowding. And ironically, it is a *reward* for better prisoners, *not* a punishment.

Prisoners who are troublesome stay in the brick prisons, but at much lower occupancy. The same with unhealthy prisoners, and those who have to appear in court frequently, or who need to be there for humanitarian reasons.

But much of the prison population goes out to the countryside. There they live with less noise, get fresh air and sunshine, and in some cases can do productive labor, like grow fresh vegetables to augment their food.

Much like with Indian casinos, States could make contracts with Indian tribes for prisoners to perform much needed improvements on Indian lands, such as environmental reclamation and infrastructure improvements. And in the process, some of the prison trustees can learn useful trades.


13 posted on 01/10/2009 5:19:39 PM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy
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To: metmom
How about we simply take all the illegal aliens in prison and release them in Cape Horn or maybe the South Sandwich Islands?

That should solve the overcrowding problem.

14 posted on 01/10/2009 5:24:19 PM PST by Gritty (Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual - Michelle Obama)
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To: CindyDawg
They need to be selective but do people in jail for non violent crimes belong there to begin with?

Yes, if it's identity theft, habitual drunk driving, or property thefts. The pot-heads are more of a hazard to themselves. Also, stop returning people to jail for parole violations for failing UA's. Cut them lose and leave them be until they commit a new violent crime. Stop wasting resources on irresponsible people with no self control. Put away the truly violent.

15 posted on 01/10/2009 5:25:18 PM PST by MovementConservative (Oregon Ducks 42, Oklahoma St. Cowboys 31)
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To: metmom
Might as well merge all the states into one single entity.

States are spending too much money on universal healthcare schemes, global warming & "green jobs" baloney, in-state tuition for illegal aliens and they wonder why they're going broke.

I've concluded that there are too many stupid and apathetic people in this country, which is why I'm currently working on living and retiring overseas.

16 posted on 01/10/2009 5:25:39 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: metmom

Well, gee, I just thot that one of the main reasons for government was to KEEP THE PEACE. What exactly IS it that they do? Besides schmoozing and driving limos and getting paid off by lobbyists?


17 posted on 01/10/2009 5:26:59 PM PST by bboop (obama, little o, not a Real God)
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To: SmallGovRepub

You are 100% on target. Glad to read a post by someone that has done a little homework on our prisons


18 posted on 01/10/2009 5:30:42 PM PST by katiedidit1
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To: Tai_Chung
Sheriff Joe Arpaio has the right idea and I would like to
find his total cost per person per day against state pens.
19 posted on 01/10/2009 5:33:12 PM PST by HuntsvilleTxVeteran (Obama, Change America will die for.)
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To: metmom

So, do the freed jailbirds even have a chance of getting a job in this economy? If not, who takes care of them? Do they get welfare?


20 posted on 01/10/2009 5:40:33 PM PST by CriticalJ
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